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Author
Topic: atripla and heat---kinda emergency (Read 3164 times)

my stupid condo turned on the heat early, so it was cranked up all the way when I got home. it was at least 100 degrees in my condo when I got home, and probably more where I store my atripla as the drawer the atripla was in abuts the heater. is it damaged by the heat? I've been calling pharmacists. One says not to worry, the other says its probably fried. The FDA is closed

Other than those gooey Norvir capsules, and the formulation of Kaletra I took, I am unaware of HIV meds that are intolerant of that level of heat. And that is only because they would melt into a horrible goop.

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"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

I don't mean to take away from your concern about the heat and meds, but you don't control your own temp? I would hate that and I've never heard of a place where you don't control your own heat or A/C.

I don't mean to take away from your concern about the heat and meds, but you don't control your own temp? I would hate that and I've never heard of a place where you don't control your own heat or A/C.

LOL, yes its freaking horrible. Last week the ac was on, and the elderly board of directors decided we needed to switch to heat, so I came home tonight and BOOM, it was honestly about 100 degrees. The condo works from a blower system, so the same system which was cooling it was suddently heating it. They leave hte heat on 8 months out of the year, and don't turn the ac on until July 1, long after it should be on. Its as terrible as it sounds. Never woulda bought hte place if i'd known this happened. And yeah, it was probably at least 100 degrees in the drawer where the atripla was, probably hotter. It really makes me angry.

Have you considered/are you able to put in a window unit? I keep my apartment at a balmy 64 degrees F, and I consider that a compromise.

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"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

Wow. Man, I am sorry. That sounds like an awful situation. But it's good that you put in an internal AC. I run mine most of the year, here in Atlanta.

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"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

I'm sure the Atripla that sits in the back of those shit-brown UPS trucks easily reaches well over 100° in the summer. I don't think it should be kept at high temps for long periods of time, but a few hours should be fine.

Well to answer the OPs question1) Keep taking your pills until you get an answer.2) Ask your doctor what his/her advice is. And the FDA - good call!3) If someone finally says no, you should replace the pills, - is replacing the pills possible? Insured or out of pocket?4) Post the answer here for all of us. Thanks.

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“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Mine comes in a regular white pill bottle with big letters that say Atripla - and a breakdown of the three drugs that are in it by amount (for the 30-day supply); the 90 day supply I get comes in a brown clear bottle. Sometimes the pharmacy sends me one big bottle w/ 90 other times I get 3 individual white bottles.

In my experience since most HIV meds are not generic, they come straight from the pharmaceutical company fully sealed -- you can see how the pharmacy applies a label over the "branded" label of the actual medication. Non-HIV medications I take if they're generic, have more variable dosing and get put in those more amber colored pill bottles with white caps and just have a pharmacy label on them, and there's no seal under the cap.

I used to get my ribavirin in blister strips. The foil was really tough to break through even with nails and by the time I'd finish filling in my weekly pill tray my fingers would be sore.

Tried to use a butter knife instead one time and kept injuring myself or the liquid-filled caps. Not such a good idea and I gave up after wrecked two pills and three or four fingers. And the palm of my left hand. Like I wasn't in enough pain already.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts